Many people would ask me for recommendations on good food in Singapore; while I can name a few, I can never match up to the Great Kon who literally maintains a list of highly-rated restaurants in his brain!
Nothing particularly stood out from the interior design of this non-air-conditioned eatery; I would think it would be the Vietnamese version of our local coffee shops, with cartons of beer stacked along the walls. One thing did stand out; the high concentration of Vietnamese customers, which is clear evidence of the food's authenticity!
First thing on our table; a bucket containing five bottles of Vietnamese Saigon Special beer! My issue with ageing is the growing adoration for beer when it comes to barbecuing; the combination is perfect.
Whatever the case, let the bingeing start! As I have never been to Vietnam, we left the ordering to the Great Kon, who had been to Ho Chih Min countless times for its food.
Bún Chả Hà Nội - I know this is rice vermicelli but at first glance, I wonder if this would be the Vietnamese version of our local putu mayam. Turned out it was one of the things I always ate in Vietnamese restaurants in Singapore; the dry noodles!
Strangely, I have never been a fan of pho. However, this is the first time I am seeing Vietnamese dry noodles being served like this and the eating method was also different.
I am supposed to dip the vermicelli into the sauce; all the while, my way was to pour the sauce into the ingredients and mix them up! With an amalgamated flavor consisting of sweetness, sourness and spiciness, this was comfort food that threw out no surprises.
Vú Dê Nướng - indicated as grilled mutton breast, we were baffled as they didn't have that signature gamey flavor at all and had a nice tenderness to the texture. Marination was sesame based with a refreshing fruity taste.
Bánh Mì Thít Nương - do you know that I have never had a Vietnamese baguette in my entire life until I visited Ăn Là Ghiền? And I actually like French loaves, especially when you dip them in curry or smear them with butter and kaya!
My first experience was great; the crust was irresistible and the roast pork, with vegetables and mayonnaise didn't fail as a filling! Guess this would motivate me to check out nice-tasting banh mi in Singapore. Heard there's a good one at Tanjong Pagar; lookout for my review!
Bánh Xèo - the picture on the menu didn't look like the actual dish, which was a lot more appetizing in reality. This egg pancake featured a good crisp and contained bean sprouts, onions, sliced pork, prawns, and a whole bunch of vegetables that had me scratching my head. I think my mom could stir fry them for another dish.
Anyway, we decided to use the vegetables as a wrap for the pancake instead. Flavor was bland on its own and you would need the sauce in the middle to enhance the taste.
Fresh Japanese Oysters - why were we having Japanese oysters in a Vietnamese restaurant? Because it was happy hour and each was priced at just S$1.90 each. I was eventually persuaded by Kon to order one, after his first order of the oysters turned out to be beyond expectations, with numerous claims of "wow"!
He was right; it was huge, fresh and indeed creamy! But I am still an oyster novice and for a moment, couldn't quite handle the tabasco sauce drenching the oyster.
Our platter of ingredients, I recognized the prawns, the mutton breasts, pork belly, chicken wings, chicken drums, baby octopi, bacon with enoki mushrooms, ladyfingers, brinjal and yes, a plate of vegetables. Vegetables seemed to be a huge component of Vietnamese cuisine!
Time to grill and that's when the unluckiest would be smoked throughout and it was real uncomfortable! One thing we did conclude after our meal was that we seemed to be the only group having BBQ that day.
Continuing the grilling.
My verdict for my first Vietnamese BBQ was non-conclusive. Meat marination was almost the same throughout but it didn't elicit that lip-smacking good sensation, unlike my virgin experiences with Korean and Thai BBQ, which had been raving and craving for the next few months.
We cleaned up everything, except for the vegetables.
Meat lovers, we are.
p.s. Joke of the day - we need the great Kon to explain what the above was as we thought they were some kind of wipes and that spray was disinfectant. They are edible Vietnamese paper rolls and the bottle of water would be used to soften the sheets.
=====
Address
Singapore 388177
(Near Aljunied MRT Station)
Map
As above.
Website
Pricing
Vietnamese Saigon Special beer - S$19.90 for 5
Bún Chả Hà Nội - S$9.90
Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm - S$6.90
Vú Dê Nướng - S$14.90
Bánh Mì Thít Nương - S$4.90
Bánh Xèo - S$9.90
Fresh Japanese Oysters - S$1.90 each
Măm Nướng (Nhỏ) - S$34.90
(No GST, No Service Charge)
